When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Exeter City manager Matt Taylor will make changes to his side for tonight’s Checkatrade Trophy clash with West Ham United’s Under 21 side, but will honour and respect the rules of the competition at the same time.

League One and Two clubs have been fined in the past for fielding ‘weakened’ teams in the competition and not abiding by the rules which stipulate that an EFL club must play four ‘qualifying’ players in its outfield ten.

That means they must have started the preceding first team fixture (City’s 3-1 win against Cheltenham), or starts the next fixture (Saturday’s League two trip to Port Vale).

They can also be in the list of top ten appearance makers this season, made 40 or more first team career appearances, or is on loan from a Premier League Club, or operating a Category One Academy.

Failure to adhere to the rules would result in a £5,000 fine for the Grecians, who will be looking to build on their penalty shoot-out win against Yeovil Town in their first match of the competition.

“I want to win that game on Tuesday, but I have to start looking after the group,” Taylor said. “I have to be cute on Tuesday. I have to use my squad wisely, but whatever team I put out I am going to put them out to try and win the game.

“We will make changes, but it is a rule to keep the competition competitive I suppose and give it the respect it deserves, which we will do.

“We always do, we won’t pay the fine and we will play as many players as we possibly can, but players need to get into their rhythm as well. It might be fitness on Tuesday, in terms of an extra game or a certain amount of minutes, but we need to keep working.

“We are not the finished article yet, we are really not. I am not saying we are using Tuesday as a training session, but some of the so-called fringe players, or players on the bench today, it is another opportunity for them to try and buy into the philosophy we are trying to create at the moment.”

Read More

Related Articles

West Ham are bottom of Group D after they lost 2-0 at Bristol Rovers last week. To give you an indication as to how seriously Taylor is taking the competition, he took the chance to attend the game and get an insight into tonight’s opponents.

“I went to watch them last week and they played well at Bristol Rovers. But I don’t know the personnel too much, I have only watched them once,” he said.

“We watch them as much as we possibly can and prepare for it as best we can, like we do for every game. But they will be good, they will move the ball quickly and be bright in terms of body and mind and in terms of their technical play.

“We might have to play a bit of League Two football against them, to see how they cope with that. Bristol Rovers did exactly that last week, but I think it will be a good game and hopefully, some fans can come down and see some of our extra players, or so-called younger players, although I don’t want to call them young players now! But some of the players that haven’t had an opportunity to play today to get involved.”

Exeter City latest

Fans continue to boycott the Checkatrade Trophy, in opposition to Under-21 clubs being allowed in the competition, so if you aren’t going tonight, then stay tuned to DevonLive as we will be blogging throughout the game and will bring you all the action as it happens.